Commiseration :(
 

My husband and I went over our finances... and realized we're going to have to postpone our already delayed honeymoon to London again :(

We had originally planned it when we got married (10/2001). Then we postponed it to August 2002, but bought a house instead (the house we were renting got sold out from under us). Now, we realize it would max out our credit cards to go, not a good idea. SOOOOO instead of Sept 2003, we are looking at maybe December 2003. Can't go during tax season, Jan-Apr... and I don't want to go super cheap hotel, cuz its my honeymoon :D Any other suggestions?

Don't fret - London is wonderful in the winter. Maybe the weather will be worse, but the holiday festivities can more than make up for it/

Sept and June are my very favorite months in London - but December is next. So you can have a lovely trip in December - and what travel bargains you will find then :)

Airfare hikes up for the Christmas and New Year for family reunions, but for the same reasons hotels tend to offer lower rates. But then a lot of attractions and shops will be closed. So I'd go for the beginning to mid-December, when London is decked with Christmas decorations and lights, and there are seasonal concerts and theatre shows, including British traditional pantomimes.

Oh, I am sorry you can't go sooner, but if I had my choices, I would rather go in December than in August. I hate being somewhere with no a/c if it is hot and stuffy and that is what you will find on a hot day in London. Plus a gazillion other tourists, making you stand in lines everywhere.
In December, the city will be yours! No lines,there will be Holiday decorations, good cheer, concerts at the churches and concert halls. I have friends who went to London a couple of years ago with young children right before Christmas. The hotel delighted in bringing in a tiny tree and setting it up in the childrens room.
Just do something around where you live for a summer holiday and use the extra time for all the planning for December in London!
If an apt in London appeals to you, sometimes they can be more affordable.
Best of Luck!
Scarlett

Don't despair, you're going to LOVE London in December! I will never, never go there in the summer again. It was hot (very) and crowded with Americans (very)--felt as if I were in Dallas, for Pete's sake. I was there in early December one year and had a great time. As Scarlett posted, no crowds, cheerful residents and a more authentic experience IMHO.

Hi Green Dragon,
If cost is an issue; why spend all your time in London? its the most expensive City in UK.
Whilst December is ok because of Christmas deco's etc.. it is damp and cold all the time and thoroughly miserable weather is guaranteed.
Scarlett: Just on the note of Air con, I have yet to see a hotel in UK that needs it, it is only ever hot enough for A/C about 2 days a year. Did you need A/C when you were here??

Remember,there really is more to the UK than London.

Muck

GreenDragon

I know, it's your honeymoon, but would you consider maybe making only some of your hotels, 'honeymoon' style hotels? Mix and match splurge and cheaper choices, so as to get the plush experience, with maybe a thinner bill.

Also, I love London, but you might not want to spend all of your time there, even with the expense. Oxford, Cambridge, and Bath are all about 90 mins to 2 hours away, are beautiful cities, and (by comparison) can be cheaper. Good luck.

Thanks for all the help so far... we are planning on doing London only because on prior trips we'd done several places in the countryside, and never spent time IN London much. We weren't planning on renting a car, just settling down in one place and having fun.

We are definitely planning early to mid-December (don't want to be there near Christmas, have family duties). As for A/C, the first time i was there there was a record heat wave... 90 degrees for 3 days. I had just come from Miami, so no big deal for me, but everyone was freaking :D

Dear GD,

If you are planning on doing London only, why do you want a car?

Uh - Ira, you may need to clean your glasses. GreenDragon clearly says they "weren't planning on renting a car".

GreenDragon: I spent Dec 3-12 last year in London. It was VERY cold - in fact record low temps. (I lived in the UK for a few years and last Dec was the coldest I have ever experienced there except for one Feb up in N. Scotland.) But it was mostly dry only used my umbrella one time for about 30 minutes. It could be a lot warmer - or not - this year. Don't let the weather put you off.

Nothing (except Oxford St and Harrods) was crowded at all. Got terrific seats to everything I wanted from the TKTS booth. All the Christmas decor was up and the outdoor ice skating rinks, especially the one at Somerset House, were very festive.

It is a wonderful time to be in London - you get the benefit of the pre-holiday season w/o actually being there at Christmas. It will be a lovely honeymoon.

One thing you might want to consider - rent a flat. Not an un-serviced one (too much like house work for a honeymoon) but a full serviced one like Chelsea Cloisters or Dolphin Square, or some place like that. You will get a lot more space and privacy but still have maid service - and some even offer room service.

Christy I'm so sorry to hear about your postponement-but a couple of months is better than a couple of years, eh? I have to say-we did England and Wales last year in early March-so-somewhat winter-ish...and we wouldn't have had it any other way. Exploring castles in Wales with rainy, chilly weather was espeically romantic. No worries!

Hi- Mucky:) I looove that name!

We have been to London many many times:) (if I can't live there, at least I can visit often). We usually go late March early April or in the fall. Usually it is cool or even cold..BUT..One fall trip, we had to have the a/c on the entire week, the temps were in the 70's. Having friends that live there, and knowing UK weather a little, you never know when there will be that hot spell when you need a/c badly, especially while sitting through a play in one of those old buildings with no air conditioning!
So-looking on the bright side of things, I think December could be quite a lovely time to visit London~

Did GreenDragon ever find that square mile sized 4 poster bed in a tudor setting hotel for under $200-300 a nite? I thought that both air and hotel rates went up in December because everyone wants to be in London around Christmastime. Whatever, I wish Greendragon luck that she'll find what she wants and actually GO on her honeymoon but at her rate of postponements, the next question she'll be posting is about suitable hotels for her honeymoon with a new baby.

Thanks Janis,
I put on my glasses.

While we are on the subject of London at Christmas time - when do the lights and decorations go up? We will be there the end of November through December 1.

BlingBling - no - for most Of December the hotels and airfares are just about the cheapeest of the year. It is true that right aroubnd the Xmas/New Year holidays the fares go up - but earlier in the month the fares are as cheap as Jan/Feb or even less.

last Dec I flew from LAX to LHR for $198 and got my flat discounted almost 35%.

Hi,
LOL as the UK has only 2-3 days that are even slightly hot, there will be hardly any hotels that will invest in A.C. If there are any I am certain it will be for fresh air purposes rather than temperature, especially in Smelly London.
Generally the decorations are up and lights switched on towards the last week of November in most cities.In Cardiff where I live; its definately the end of Nov.
Muck

Mucky,
I guess you have never stayed in London at the Washington Hotel on Curzon Street. All rooms are totally centrally air conditioned.
Maybe the weather in Cardiff is much more extreme, one of my friends who lives in Belsize Park, London, went to the University in Cardiff. She did say that the weather "sucked":)